Two-Hour Broccoli Confit: So Much Better Than Overcooked Broccoli

When I say broccoli cooked for two hours, you say gross, right? You probably think about retirement homes and sad cafeteria food. I was as skeptical as you probably are when I first read Food52's description of Roy Finamore's Broccoli Cooked Forever recipe. Then I tried it, first spread thick on a piece of grainy toast, then simply speared with a fork, standing over the pot. Broccoli cooked slowly for two hours in olive oil, garlic, red pepper and anchovies? Nothing at all like overcooked broccoli.

But Finamore's recipe goes even beyond this one; he cooks the broccoli for, yes, two whole hours.

The method is simple: blanch broccoli florets and stems for five minutes, then cook them covered in a shallow bath of oil for two hours, until they are buttery soft. Sliced garlic, dried red peppers and a few anchovy fillets slowly infuse the broccoli with their flavor, the anchovies in particular giving the mixture a scent more alluring than any pot of broccoli I've ever known.

Eat the broccoli straight, or mash it onto toast or crackers; either way, it's hard to stop eating. It's a surprising, simple recipe that turns humble broccoli into a luxurious treat.